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Jurgen Klopp has become the first Liverpool manager to record 50 wins in European competitions after his team's Europa League win against LASK Linz on Thursday (21 September).
If you were to ask Klopp's preferred option for achieving that milestone, the Europa League might not top his list. But it was the best possible scenario for him after his team finished fifth last season.
The Reds trailed in Austria through a stunning long-range effort from Florian Flecker in the 14th minute. But second-half goals from Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and substitute Mohamed Salah completed the 3-1 comeback win.
The game marked Klopp's 50th win in Europe since taking over the helm at Liverpool in November 2015 (h/t @AnfieldWatch on X). Since then, he has taken the Reds to four European finals, with three of them being in the UEFA Champions League.
Their win against Tottenham Hotspur in the 2018-19 season was sandwiched between losses against Real Madrid in the final (2017-18, 2021-22). Klopp's first game in Europe as the Reds boss ended in a 1-1 Europa League group-stage draw against Rubin Kazan in October 2015.
The German manager led his team to the final of the competition that year, where they lost 3-1 to Spanish side Sevilla. Since then, he has won every major trophy during his time at Anfield.
Out of Klopp's 50 wins, 40 have come in the UEFA Champions League in 65 matches. In the Europa League, he has led the Merseyside giants to victory seven times in 14 matches.
Liverpool also won the 2019 UEFA Super Cup, beating Chelsea on penalties. To account for the remaining two victories, we must rewind the clock six years to their 6-3 aggregate win against TSG Hoffenheim in the Champions League qualifiers.
Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool the dominant side in LASK win
Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo were just some of the high-profile names Jurgen Klopp left out of Liverpool's starting XI against LASK.
The Reds nevertheless prevailed and fought back to secure a 3-1 comeback win. LASK seemed content with their 14th-minute goal, after which the Reds dominated the encounter.
Across the 90 minutes, the visitors kept 67% of the ball and recorded a 1.94 xG (expected goals) as compared to the hosts' 0.26. Liverpool also completed 83% of their 547 passes, while LASK were wasteful with the ball, succeeding with just 67% of their 257 attempted passes.
The win puts the Reds in the driving seat in Group E, where Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse played out a 1-1 draw in Belgium. The English giants' next assignment is a league game against West Ham United at Anfield on 24 September.
